Happy Birthday, Mom
by TereseLucy384
Summary: This is a little one-shot.  The castaways try to cheer Gilligan up when they realize that he's missing a big family event back home.


After a busy morning of breakfast-making, dishes and a load of laundry, MaryAnn decided it was time for a little relaxation by the lagoon. She looked for Gilligan to join her, but he was nowhere to be found. She was a little worried – he had been unusually somber at breakfast and disappeared soon after.

She set off by herself and spread her blanket out at the edge of the jungle, not too close to the water. With her eyes closed, she relaxed to the sounds of jungle birds, insects and the small waterfall across the way. As the sun was getting hotter, she retreated into the shade.

She was dozing lightly, when a noise woke her. She looked up to see Gilligan sitting on a rock at the edge of the water. He had his hands clasped around his ankles and his head down on his knees. As MaryAnn watched him, she realized he was crying. She wasn't sure she should intrude and approach him. Finally, she couldn't watch anymore and walked slowly towards him.

"Gilligan? Are you alright?" she asked.

He startled and almost fell in the water. He hadn't realized she was in the shadows. Then he looked up at her, his eyes red. "Today is my Mom's birthday," he said. "My Dad planned a real big party for her down at the lodge. He's been planning for months. Skipper was gonna give me a week off, and my Dad even bought a plane ticket for me to come home and surprise her. She said all she wanted for her birthday was to have her three kids together."

He sighed and wiped his eyes. MaryAnn wanted to comfort her new friend, but was cautious, understanding how shy he was with girls.

She softly put her hand on his back and gave him a little hug, expecting him to pull away. Instead, he leaned into her and sighed heavily.

"I'll be alright," he said. "But I think I'm gonna go for a walk. I kind of want to be alone for a while". He tried to give her a grin to let her know he would be okay.

Watching him walk into the jungle, MaryAnn's mind was racing. What could she do to cheer him up? She picked up her blanket and hurried back to the clearing. While she walked, her mind formulated a plan.

Skipper and Professor were sitting at the table looking at some charts and talking softly. She approached them to ask for their help. While she laid out her plan, Ginger and Mrs. Howell came over. Mrs. Howell's keen ears picked up the word "party".

"Ooh, a party! How delightful," she said.

Skipper offered his help and a suggestion. "I remember, a few weeks before the shipwreck, Gilligan's neighbor gave her son a birthday party. What was his name . . . Dougie? - no, Donny. That was it. He had Downs Syndrome. His mother gave him and a couple of friends a cruise on the Minnow for his party. Gilligan really liked that kid. He kind of went a little crazy decorating. I bet if you look in those boxes from the Minnow that are in the supply hut, you might find some decorations left over."

Naturally, the ladies were thrilled. Ginger and Mrs. Howell headed to the supply hut, while MaryAnn headed to her cooking area to prepare some party food. The men sat at the table and waited to be told what to do. They knew it was coming.

The next 90 minutes were a flurry of activity. MaryAnn enlisted Skipper to help slice and dice the fruits she had collected for a bowl of fruit salad, while she worked on a special project. Professor went down to the lobster traps to see what they had caught, and was rewarded with 4 adequate crabs and 1 lobster, for a seafood salad. Mr. Howell got the ladder out and helped Ginger and his darling wife hang decorations.

By the time Gilligan wandered back for lunch, all the party preparations were complete. Balloons were in bright bunches, and a birthday banner hung, along with some random streamers. Ginger even found a small canister with a little helium left in it, so there were a few floating, red balloons tied to the trees.

As he strolled into the clearing, he looked around in confusion. The other castaways were seated around the table watching his approach with bated breath. Even in his confusion, he couldn't help but grin as he asked what was going on.

"Well," MaryAnn answered, "we know you can't be with your mom today for her birthday, so we decided to throw a party here in her honor. I hope you don't mind," she added nervously.

Gilligan grinned as he took in all the hard work his friends had gone through for him. He realized as he looked at their hopeful faces that they had become a family. That thought filled his heart.

"Wow, thanks, everyone!" he exclaimed. "Let's have a party! MaryAnn, is that a . . . a pie?"

"Yes," she laughed. "Coconut Cream. I hope you like it. I had to experiment a little to get it right." MaryAnn could see the enthusiasm in his smile and wasn't sure why it made her blush. His eyes caught hers, and he suddenly found the birthday banner very interesting. When he dared look at her again, she was still smiling at him. Thinking of how sweet she was down by the lagoon that morning, he grinned as he scuffed his toe in the sand.

The castaways partied the afternoon away. They were eating and laughing and telling stories. They each took a turn telling a favorite story about their mothers, with Gilligan going last. He knew the story that he wanted to tell, but he hesitated, thinking carefully about his words.

"My mom used to tell this story . . . a story about me when I was a baby. I wish I could tell it like she does, with her eyes all sparkly and magic. I guess, one summer night, she went into my room to check on me . . . but I wasn't in the crib. She and my dad looked all over the house. I was kind of an expert at escaping, so they figured I was around someplace." He grinned and shifted in his seat, and the others knew they were hearing something special - not the typical "Gilligan" story.

"So anyway, they're searching the house and Mom was starting to panic. Then as she stood there in the middle of the living room, she heard me giggling. She looked out the window, and I was sitting out in the back yard. There was a full moon that night. I was sitting in the grass, facing the woods and holding my arms out. Mom saw these little tiny flashes of light flying around me and I was laughing." Gilligan smiled at the memory, thinking of how many times his mother had told this story. MaryAnn, spellbound, watched him closely.

"Mom and Dad ran out into the yard towards me and the tiny flashes scattered. I was still laughing when they reached me. When Mom picked me up, she saw that I had some glitter on my cheeks. It's silly, really. The glitter probably came from some art project my sister did. And the tiny lights _had_ to be lightening bugs. But Mom swears that it was fairies. See, that night was Summer Solstice, and Mom says that the fairies picked me. They picked me to be special. And every summer, on that night, Mom would tell that story."

Gilligan's voice faded and the castaways realized that they had all been holding their breath. MaryAnn scooted on the bench closer to Gilligan and hugged him. "You're Mom was right. You are special, Gilligan." And she kissed him on the cheek.

As Gilligan happily looked around at the scene before him, a strong gust of wind caught a red balloon and sent it dancing up towards the trees. Gilligan watched it soar and whispered, "Happy Birthday, Mom".

* * *

><p>Around 5,000 miles away, Ellen Gilligan stood with her husband, Patrick, in the parking lot of the local lodge saying thanks and farewells to the friends and family who had come to share her celebration. Patrick had struggled with the decision of whether or not to cancel the party in light of the tragic loss their family had suffered. In the end, he realized that his wife needed something to celebrate, so he carried on with his plans. The support of their family and friends had been overwhelming.<p>

As the last of the guests were leaving, Ellen wandered over to the edge of the lot to watch a mother and her young son walking down the sidewalk. They were coming home from a children's festival that had taken place in the park across the street. The little boy had a shock of dark bangs hanging down in his eyes and, as he stumbled, his mother caught him. He let out a giggle and Ellen could see his dimpled grin, and her heart broke a little. His hand loosened on the string of a red balloon just as a gust of wind struck. The balloon floated up and danced across the street towards Ellen. As she watched it soar, with tears in her eyes, she swore she heard her William whisper, "Happy Birthday, Mom"


End file.
